A juror who found Brock Turner guilty on three felony counts of sexual assault has spoken out.
And he has some very harsh things to say.
Back in March, Turner – a 20-year old former swimmer at Stanford University – was convicted for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman near a dumpster in January of 2015.
Prosecutors in the case recommended Turner be sentenced to six years in state prison.
Instead, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Turner to six months in county prison.
A number of responses to this sentencing have gone viral.
FIRST, the victim herself read a powerful statement in court, addressing Turner and detailing what her life has been like since his rape.
You can listen to it here:
SECOND, Turner’s father penned a letter to the judge in which he blew off his son’s sexual assault, referring to it as “20 minutes of action” that should not land his son behind bars.
Here. Read the full statement below:
THIRD, Turner’s mother also released a letter in which he pleaded with Persky not to sentence his child to any time in jail because it would be akin to a “death sentence.”
She argued that Turner’s privileged status would make him a target in prison.
FOURTH, Turner himself wrote a letter that chalked up his actions to “binge drinking and promiscuity.”
FIFTH, Vice President Joe Biden released a statement that addressed the victim and essentially apologized for the Hell she has gone through in this ordeal.
So that brings us here. To a juror who wished to remain anonymous and who published his own letter in The Palo Alto Weekly.
“After the guilty verdict I expected that this case would serve as a very strong deterrent to on-campus assaults, but with the ridiculously lenient sentence that Brock Turner received, I am afraid that it makes a mockery of the whole trial and the ability of the justice system to protect victims of assault and rape,” he wrote to Persky.
“Clearly there are few to no consequences for a rapist even if they are caught in the act of assaulting a defenseless, unconscious person.”
The added said he was “absolutely shocked and appalled” by the verdict,; he doesn’t believe that the punishment fits the crime
“It seems to me that you really did not accept the jury’s findings,” the letter reads:
“We were unanimous in our finding of the defendant’s guilt and our verdicts were marginalized based on your own personal opinion. This was my first experience as a juror, and frankly I am disappointed.”
As of this writing, Turner remains in protective custody at a Santa Clara County jail.
Persky, meanwhile, remains on the bench… although a recall petition against him was launched on Change.org on June 6.
It has already received more than one million supporters.